Miscellaneous Hacks - Digital Point User Map

About
This is a system for geo-locating your currently online users and plotting them on a world Google Map. You can click any of the pins for a link to pull up the user's location in Google Earth.

This is something I originally made almost 5 years ago. Now that I rewrote it for vBulletin 4, I wrapped it up as a product package and released it for the world to use.

Installation

• Put the usermap.php file in your forum folder.
• Install the product-digitalpoint_usermap.xml product under AdminCP -> Plugins & Products -> Manage Products -> Add/Import Product

Notes

• Important! - this uses the free GeoIP PHP extension, so you must have it installed on your server in order for it to work.
• Uses datastore cache so it does not repeat GeoIP queries unnecessarily.
• Upgraded to Google Maps API v3.

You can see a live version in action here:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/usermap.php

[Dave Hybrid]

Shawn, do i need to reimport or just uplaod the new php file since the update a few days back?

Thanks.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by Dave Hybrid

Shawn, do i need to reimport or just uplaod the new php file since the update a few days back?

Thanks.

I would as it is now the correct file that should have been in there. Plus, if you ever run into a situation where they are no users online, you won't get the errors I was getting. Better to be safe than sorry.

[paulket]

I have this mod working on a relatively fresh install of vBulletin 4.1.8... it is working as it should (after getting HostGator to install the GeoIP php extension). Thank you to Shawn of digitalpoint for providing this great mod for free, it is appreciated greatly.

[Dave Hybrid]

WEll i run a modified template so i have a search box to search the map, id rather not have to manually edit it if i can just upload the new php file only.

[Nelson58]

Did you read my original question, or just ignore the link to post your biased opinions supporting this erm, mod?

Asking nicely, pointing the coder to the web host who can answer his questions, got NO response. Is that what you call support for a mod? I don't. I call it throwing up your hands and ignoring someone with a problem with the mod. The problem was beyond my ability to diagnose and required more information that only the web host could give him. I directed him in that direction and got dead silence. He didn't bother to contact my web host, just moved on like it didn't happen. That is BS.

The fact that this mod "works for some" isn't exactly a glowing endorsement, except by fellow coders and friends. The mod should work for everyone. And the fact that it doesn't and has issues you fellows are still talking about only proves the point.

So far, I have downloaded and installed "DownloadsII", "PayPal Donation", "Newsletter" and one or two other mods without an issue. So obviously, I am capable of installing something that works.

As for burning bridges gentleman, I uninstalled this piece of crap from my site a while ago because it didn't work, and I was getting no help from the coder. My users are still asking me for a member map for our site, particularly one that identifies the users by username. (They feel that the coder's "privacy issue" is no issue to them and want that option). I write in the hope that some talented coder can write one that works for me and most everyone else, and has the feature that you agree would be good to have and be able to toggle on/off.

Time to sweep a mod that "works for some and not others" and is unsupported into the trash and come up with one the caliber of DownloadsII, PayPal Donation, Newsletter, etc that work when you install them. Not all of us are coders or techies to be able to diagnose and fix the bugs that prevent this desireable yet flawed piece of programming waste from functioning.

This will be my final say on this, so feel free to flame if at will. I speak candidly and from a desire to have something that works and will please my users.

Nelson

[digitalpoint]

Originally Posted by spillage

Giving users an option in their profile/setting to have their Username displayed on the map (or not) might be nice.
Display Username on User Map: yes/no (default = no).

Yeah, something like that would be the *only* way we would display the username. It's just too much of a privacy issue for it to not be "opt-in". On top of it, it would require quite a bit of changes... most notably, we couldn't consolidate pins anymore (two people from the same city current generate a single pin).

Not sure it's really worth all the work that would be required to be honest...

Originally Posted by Dave Hybrid

Shawn, do i need to reimport or just uplaod the new php file since the update a few days back?

Thanks.

Just the new PHP file is fine. Even then, you aren't going to see the errors in the old one unless you have 0 people on your site (guests/members/spiders, etc.)

Originally Posted by Allthumbz

Did you read my original question, or just ignore the link to post your biased opinions supporting this erm, mod?

Asking nicely, pointing the coder to the web host who can answer his questions, got NO response. Is that what you call support for a mod? I don't.

More like when I asked you to look at your server logs to see why your server might be throwing an internal error you expect me to call up a guy at your hosting company because you don't want to do it...

I can help people, but when user's I'm trying to help don't want to do it and pass me on to someone else, not really going to go out of my way, sorry.

If your server does not support geoip PHP extension, there's not a lot I can do to help you. If you could get at the server logs, it probably would tell you exactly what the problem is so your hosting company can fix it for you. But either way, there's nothing I can do within the addon itself that will make geoip extension work (or be installed properly) on your server if it's not already.

It's kind of like trying to run a PHP script without PHP installed on your web server and then blaming whoever coded the script that it doesn't work on your server.

[Boofo]

Originally Posted by digitalpoint

Even then, you aren't going to see the errors in the old one unless you have 0 people on your site (guests/members/spiders, etc.)

Sure... rub it in.

[Gamelobby]

Originally Posted by Allthumbz

Did you read my original question, or just ignore the link to post your biased opinions supporting this erm, mod?

Blah, blah, blah..

This will be my final say on this, so feel free to flame if at will. I speak candidly and from a desire to have something that works and will please my users.

Nelson

Hey Nelson, i think you're looking for the "Request for PAID Services" section.!!



PS. I haven't tried this one yet, but i'm going to.



*edit*
So if the link doesn't appear, does that mean it doesn't work.? (as in my host doesn't have the correct php extension)
or is there a way to "turn it on" or something else to do.. all i see is ability to add usergroup ID #'s

Thanks



*edit #2*
I found the link.. but here is what i get when i click on it.
It this because of my host.? (missing php ext)

Fatal error: Call to undefined function geoip_record_by_name() in /home/content/08/4856008/html/gamelobby/Forum/usermap.php on line 100

[tpearl5]

Originally Posted by Allthumbz

Did you read my original question, or just ignore the link to post your biased opinions supporting this erm, mod?

Asking nicely, pointing the coder to the web host who can answer his questions, got NO response. Is that what you call support for a mod? I don't. I call it throwing up your hands and ignoring someone with a problem with the mod. The problem was beyond my ability to diagnose and required more information that only the web host could give him. I directed him in that direction and got dead silence. He didn't bother to contact my web host, just moved on like it didn't happen. That is BS.

It's BS because something that was offered free to you doesn't work exactly how you expected it to work, even though prerequisites are specifically stated? Why should Shawn have to contact your web host?

So far, I have downloaded and installed "DownloadsII", "PayPal Donation", "Newsletter" and one or two other mods without an issue. So obviously, I am capable of installing something that works.

Congrats? Obviously you never saw how mods used to have to be installed in early vBulletin days.

As for burning bridges gentleman, I uninstalled this piece of crap from my site a while ago because it didn't work, and I was getting no help from the coder. My users are still asking me for a member map for our site, particularly one that identifies the users by username. (They feel that the coder's "privacy issue" is no issue to them and want that option). I write in the hope that some talented coder can write one that works for me and most everyone else, and has the feature that you agree would be good to have and be able to toggle on/off.

Do you really expect someone to just give you a solution with an attitude like this? You come here with the expectation of getting things for free. You're also calling someone who has many people in the vBulletin community's utmost respect bad at what he does. I'm pretty sure Shawn knows more about vBulletin then the current vBulletin developers.

Time to sweep a mod that "works for some and not others" and is unsupported into the trash and come up with one the caliber of DownloadsII, PayPal Donation, Newsletter, etc that work when you install them. Not all of us are coders or techies to be able to diagnose and fix the bugs that prevent this desireable yet flawed piece of programming waste from functioning.

Wow. You don't need to be a coder to understand how something works. It's like winning a car and then getting mad at the person who gave it to you for not understanding that it needs gas, even though it's clearly understood that cars need gas.

When you've been involved with this community for as long as some of us have, spent tens of thousands of hours on your site, and/or thousands of dollars on custom modifications, servers, and everything else, then you maybe can complain a little bit. If anyone should be complaining here it should be Shawn for having to deal with shi**y people like you.

[FTDave]

This is a great mod. I have a question. If I have only one admin or mod on the site why does it show so many red pins?
I went to admin setting and only added the one usergroup as admin.
Does this thing cache somewhere?